The princess grows up

I remember my niece telling me, that when she grows up, she wants to be rich, have a mansion, buy expensive cars and shop to her hearts content. As I listened to more of her wonderful dreams, I smiled at her and started thinking what it was that I wanted when I was younger.

I believe that there was a time that I too wanted pretty things. Idealistic whatnots spun in my head, of happy relationships, the perfect home, of white picket fences, luxuries at hand, dogs in the garden, to be out in the open, and more dreams that I thought were simple but later was told that those weren't.

Looking at myself now, a few years older, gray hair growing in number,
and I am still rooted to most of the things that make me who I am.
Sure a lot of things have changed and those changes have been both easy and hard.
What remains to be true is that I still want a lot of things in my life.
These things somehow haven't changed much from what I used to want before.

A partner to grow lovingly old with.
A stable career that would provide for the family.
Travel to places we've always wanted to go to.
To be able to hold my wife's hand without the need to hide it.
Create memories to last until we're old and gray.
Share our home that we built together.
Experience the arguments and discussions that would make me and my wife closer.
Feel the pains of giving birth to our child/children.
See the family grow as time passes by.
A partner who would want to see you bloom in all aspects.
To wake up in the middle of the night knowing that I am loved.

I have always wanted these.
Always.
So if wanting means that I want everything to be pretty, so be it.
At least I know what I want and would actually do something to have them.